After a 2023 decorated with vibrant singles that quickly became fan favourites, 1000 Beasts has released his second album ‘Burning Flower’. First seeing notability with his debut LP in 2022, 1000 Beasts has pitched himself as a prolific producer with a penchant for collaboration. Almost every track he releases is made possible through blending his style with fellow rising stars, making for a varied and enticing discography.
The new album is no different, with features from Tomike, Malaki, Paco Versailles, Rachel Mae Hannon and Toucan all appearing. Stretching across house, hip-hop and neo-soul, each track is sleek and warm, though unrestricted in its classification. This makes for a listen that is constantly surprising, but consistently glowing.
The producer also takes a rare opportunity to showcase his skills without collaboration, the track ‘They Called Her Something’ featuring a vibrant and vast instrumental. Swelling basslines, pulsating rhythms and the mismatched drums of iconic 90s hip-hop are laced with ethereal vocals and rich electronica, a unique interlude amongst the ten tracks.
1000 Beasts dives into the new album, ”The Burning Flower album came together immediately after the release of Naruda. Honestly, I was so immersed in the crafting process of Naruda that I just kept making music without pause. It wasn’t a conscious effort; one day, I turned around and realised I had another album’s worth of material ready to go, and that’s how I ended up here.
The lockdown changed the way music could be made. Much of the 1000 Beasts process is now collaborative and remote. I can create a beat and send it to an artist whom I think it might suit, even if I’ve never met them before. We can then exchange ideas back and forth over email, and something beautiful can be born. It’s a very liberating and fun process.
I have to thank my collaborators; without them, none of these tracks would be half of what they are. It’s the most inspiring part of the process when you send an instrumental to someone, and they come back with a topline that I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams.
The focus track for the album is an instrumental called “They Called Her Something.” It might just be the oldest track on the album; I made it as part of the Naruda process. I was trying to find the right vocal for it for ages, but eventually, I realised that the instrumental itself is so strong that a vocal doesn’t really fit over it. It’s probably my favourite track on the record, and even though it’s a little different, they always say make music you like, not what you think people will like..”